waterbug123

I wouldn't worry about check-in; I don't think anyone is going to stop you and tell you your teens can't check in with you. We've sailed in The Retreat and were able to have non-retreat guests dine with us at Luminae on a space-available basis, which usually wasn't an issue, they just had to pay a cover charge. As for the Retreat lounge/sundeck, I understand wanting your teens to join you, but please let that go. If everyone was allowed to bring non-Retreat guests in, it would be crowded and unfair to the other Retreat guests. Either stop by without your kids for a brief drink or go elsewhere on the ship. I know that's not the answer you want to hear, since you and your partner are entitled to access, but if you're booking so late that you can't book two cabins in the same category, that's just a trade-off you might have to accept.

We will be on Xploration in a few weeks and wonder if you can answer a few questions- 1. I recall reading somewhere that regular luggage doesn't fit under the bed on Xploration, but in pictures it looks like it would. Did you have normal luggage space under the beds? 2. How was the food? 3. We did not purchase air through Celebrity and have made our own flight reservations on Avianca from Quito to Baltra. I believe Celebrity told us at one point that there would still be a Celebrity rep to meet us at the airport in Baltra and take us to the ship. I know you booked air through Celebrity but do you recall if, when you arrived at Baltra airport, the Celebrity rep was also greeting pax who booked independently? We do plan to confirm with them soon, just hoping someone who has been there recently can confirm. 4. Is there anything else about Xploration that surprised you, good or bad, or that you think would be worth noting? Thanks so much! We leave for Quito 4/30 and sail 5/4 and can't wait!

another option, if the hotel doesn't operate its own shuttle- ask if they can arrange a cab for you in advance. Hotels usually have a reliable cab service that they call, which relies on being dependable to continue serving that hotel's guests.

Well I guess I'm glad we are booked on Xploration this May, before she's taken out of service if that is indeed true. We booked with a group of friends specifically because we loved the idea of such a small, intimate sailing. We will be 10 of the 16 passengers so it's going to feel very much like a private charter!

No, just providing excellent service.

It's literally a 5-10 min drive, so not worth the bother of renting a car. Just grab a cab, or two if necessary

We were on Apex last summer and were able to order some MDR items in Luminae.

Tipping 0% is not something I'd brag about. Do you also not tip when you go out to eat or out for drinks at home?

I think they're doing what they can to M-class to keep the finishes looking fresh, and offer as much of The Retreat experience as possible without doing major renovations. i.e. Michael's and Luminae might get tweaked, but I don't think you're going to see a massive reno to add a Retreat Sundeck area that competes with those on Edge class ships, with large seating areas, hot tub, plunge pool, bar etc.

Sort of. With a category guarantee, you are guaranteed to get a cabin in that category, but it could literally be any cabin in the category, and it won't be assigned until much closer to sail date. I believe with "RC picks the room" you find out much sooner (maybe even right after booking? I'm not positive) which room you got.

She was very vague, but reading between the lines it sounds like they are going to focus on revolutionizing Solstice class ships since they still have a lot of life left in them, but Summit class ships will not see major renovations since they're much closer to the end of their useful life. They will simply get decor updates, like paint, carpet, upholstery etc.

So they should just let people run a tab into the thousands with no way of knowing if the person's credit card is any good or not? It's the same reason a hold gets put on your card when you check into a hotel, pump gas, etc.

I just listened to a webinar yesterday with the Celebrity president. When asked about dry docks, she essentially said they're really brainstorming the best ways to update the Solstice class ships to keep them competitive with the Edge class, while keeping the older ships (such as Infinity) looking nice. Translation: Solstice class ships have a lot of life left so that's where the efforts will go. Older ships don't have enough life left in the to warrant major renovations, and instead will just get facelift items like new upholstery, carpet etc.

Keep in mind that any airport in the country can be affected by weather occurring at any airport in any other part of the country. Ex. You could be flying through Miami in January and think you're safe because it won't be snowing there. But the plane you are going to board in MIA could be coming in from Buffalo. Or the plane could be sitting there but your crew got in late night before due to weather delays somewhere else and now you're flight is delayed due to mandatory crew rest. Weather creates a domino effect

Never mind through checking your luggage, I'm more concerned that you apparently plan to fly to LAX same day on a separate ticket. If something happens to that SEA-LAX flight and you miss the LAX departure you could get stuck with whatever seats are available last minute on a later flight. How much time do you have planned between arriving at LAX and departing again?

Econ 101...supply and demand. When supply decreases (fewer flights), price rises When demand increases (more cruise ships starting from SJU), price rises Decrease supply AND increase demand? Prices will soar

Maybe in some cases. But take Sky Team for example- JFK is a huge international hub for Delta and they use T4, but Air France, who is a core alliance partner, uses T1.

I don't recall Luminae ever serving palate cleansers but they usually serve an amuse bouche. As Markeb explained above, they are completely different things. Amuse bouche literally translates to an amusement for the mouth; it's a teaser to show off the chef's creativity served at the beginning of the meal. A palate cleanser is a refreshing sorbet served between courses to prepare your palate for the next one.

The airlines would transport your luggage on that itinerary. The only reason you would have had to collect and re-check it on the other itinerary was because it involved changing airports during the connection, from EWR to JFK.

I concur with FlyerTalker. Generallly speaking, travel vouchers are good for one year from date of original travel. Since the airline made the schedule change, it's possible that your vouchers will be extended to a year beyond the exisiting travel dates, but only Delta can give you the rules that apply to the specific tickets and fare class that you purchased.

There are multiple terminals with international flights at JFK so "everyone from all the flights" does not end up in the same place for immigration/customs. But any large airport like ORD or JFK could have multiple flights arriving at the same terminal within short order of each other, creating large crowds going through immigration. I've arrived at JFK and walked right through and I've arrived and had to stand in a long line. All depends on timing of inbound flights and that's hard to predict.

So the Premium economy flight gets into EWR but then departs out of JFK? I believe you will have to collect your bags at EWR and re-check in at JFK. So a good chunk of time will be taken up just getting bags, getting transportation, getting out to JFK and checking in again. If your flight is in the summer, I'd look at maybe booking a time slot at the rooftop pool at the TWA Hotel at JFK. That was our plan to kill time during a long JFK layover last June. Ultimately our plan fell through because our inbound flight was extremely delayed but it could be an option for you.

There is no set time when prices are always best. If you found that it was consistently at 4 months out, I can assure you that was just a coincidence. You'll kill yourself trying to out-think the airlines' pricing algorithms.

And therein lies my question. I will keep trying to find someone who has been on Xploration and can answer definitively. Thank you.

We will be on Celebrity Xploration, which only has 8 rooms. That's why I thought perhaps that's the vessel you'd been on. (And on 40+ cruises regular cruise ships, I've always been able to fit my larger hard-sided case under the bed)